SACRAMENTO: Senate Minority Leader Bob Huff (R-San Dimas) is calling on Governor Jerry Brown to veto mandatory childhood vaccination legislation headed for the Governor’s desk after passing off the Senate Floor earlier today. In a veto request letter sent to the Governor, Senator Huff called SB 277 an “unwarranted insertion of government into an area that has rightly been the domain of parents.”

“The sweeping nature of SB 277 is all the more problematic when one considers the actual magnitude of the recent measles outbreak that spawned the bill,” wrote Senator Huff in his veto request to the Governor. “In a state of nearly 39 million people, only 131 measles cases are likely linked to this outbreak. This can hardly be considered a breakdown of ‘herd immunity.’”

Senator Huff also argues that the need for SB 277 is premature; noting that previous legislation introduced by the author (AB 2109 in 2012) actually led to a decrease to the use of personal belief exemption (PBE) requests. The prudent course, Senator Huff states, is to monitor the effectiveness of AB 2109 over several years to see if PBE usage continues to decline.

“If this downward trend does not continue, then and only then, should an extreme measure like SB 277 be considered,” Senator Huff wrote in his veto request letter to the Governor. “A strong case can be made that our current policy works. Now is not the time for this measure (SB 277).”

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Senator Huff serves as the Senate Republican Leader and represents the 29th Senate District covering portions of Los Angeles, Orange and San Bernardino Counties. Follow Senator Huff on Twitter at @bobhuff99.